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Scientific merits and analytical challenges of tree-ring densitometry

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Date
26/11/2019
Author
Björklund, J.
von Arx, G.
Nievergelt, D.
Wilson, R.
Van den Bulcke, J.
Günther, B.
Loader, N.J.
Rydval, M.
Fonti, P.
Scharnweber, T.
Andreu-Hayles, L.
Büntgen, U.
D'Arrigo, R.
Davi, N.
De Mil, T.
Esper, J.
Gärtner, H.
Geary, J.
Gunnarson, B.E.
Hartl, C.
Hevia, A.
Song, H.
Janecka, K.
Kaczka, R.J.
Kirdyanov, A.V.
Kochbeck, M.
Liu, Y.
Meko, M.
Mundo, I.
Nicolussi, K.
Oelkers, R.
Pichler, T.
Sánchez-Salguero, R.
Schneider, L.
Schweingruber, F.
Timonen, M.
Trouet, V.
Van Acker, J.
Verstege, A.
Villalba, R.
Wilmking, M.
Frank, D.
Keywords
Microdensitometry
Maximum latewood density (MXD)
X-ray densitometry
Anatomical density
Blue intensity
Paleoclimatology
GE Environmental Sciences
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Abstract
X-ray microdensitometry on annually-resolved tree-ring samples has gained an exceptional position in last-millennium paleoclimatology through the maximum latewood density parameter (MXD), but also increasingly through other density parameters. For fifty years, X-ray based measurement techniques have been the de facto standard. However, studies report offsets in the mean levels for MXD measurements derived from different laboratories, indicating challenges of accuracy and precision. Moreover, reflected visible light-based techniques are becoming increasingly popular and wood anatomical techniques are emerging as a potentially powerful pathway to extract density information at the highest resolution. Here we review the current understanding and merits of wood density for tree-ring research, associated microdensitometric techniques, and analytical measurement challenges. The review is further complemented with a careful comparison of new measurements derived at 17 laboratories, using several different techniques. The new experiment allowed us to corroborate and refresh ?long-standing wisdom?, but also provide new insights. Key outcomes include; i) a demonstration of the need for mass/volume based re-calibration to accurately estimate average ring density; ii) a substantiation of systematic differences in MXD measurements that cautions for great care when combining density datasets for climate reconstructions; and iii) insights into the relevance of analytical measurement resolution in signals derived from tree-ring density data. Finally, we provide recommendations expected to facilitate future inter-comparability and interpretations for global change research.
Citation
Björklund , J , von Arx , G , Nievergelt , D , Wilson , R , Van den Bulcke , J , Günther , B , Loader , N J , Rydval , M , Fonti , P , Scharnweber , T , Andreu-Hayles , L , Büntgen , U , D'Arrigo , R , Davi , N , De Mil , T , Esper , J , Gärtner , H , Geary , J , Gunnarson , B E , Hartl , C , Hevia , A , Song , H , Janecka , K , Kaczka , R J , Kirdyanov , A V , Kochbeck , M , Liu , Y , Meko , M , Mundo , I , Nicolussi , K , Oelkers , R , Pichler , T , Sánchez-Salguero , R , Schneider , L , Schweingruber , F , Timonen , M , Trouet , V , Van Acker , J , Verstege , A , Villalba , R , Wilmking , M & Frank , D 2019 , ' Scientific merits and analytical challenges of tree-ring densitometry ' , Reviews of Geophysics , vol. Early View . https://doi.org/10.1029/2019RG000642
Publication
Reviews of Geophysics
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019RG000642
ISSN
8755-1209
Type
Journal item
Rights
Copyright © 2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the final published version of the work, which was originally published at https://doi.org/10.1029/2019RG000642
Description
R.W. was supported by NERC grant NE/K003097/1.
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/19992

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